Bono region produces 521.6 tons of fish in first quarter 2023 - Addo Owusu

The Bono Region produced 521.6 tons of fish in the first quarter of 2023, Nana Addo Owusu, the Deputy Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission, has stated.

He said the production tons for tilapia for the quarter was 28, catfish 93.6 and “capture fish” 400 from the four zones of Dormaa, Berekum, Sunyani and Wenchi.

Nana Owusu, who doubles as the Manager of the Dormaa Fish Hatchery and Training Centre disclosed at a staff meeting organised by the regional office of the Commission in Sunyani.

It was to ascertain the progress of staff activities to increase fish and aquaculture production in the region.

Giving the zonal breakdown, Nana Owusu said the Dormaa zone produced 10.3 tons of tilapia and catfish, Berekum 20.8 tons, Sunyani 25.5 tons and Wenchi 465 tons of tilapia, catfish and “capture fish”.

Later in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Hanson Kodzo Dzamefe Jnr, the Regional Director of the Commission expressed satisfaction about the contribution of staff towards the progress of fish production in the region despite logistic challenges.

He explained, irrespective of the progress made, there was more to be done by the staff in extension work, visits and data collection to obtain the right data from the field, saying this would help do away with under-reporting of figures.

Mr Dzamefe Jnr urged the staff to establish good relations with the farmers, saying that would always motivate the farmers to inform them about their challenges for the prescription of appropriate solutions to help boost production in the region.

He, therefore, encouraged them to communicate by using digital platforms as the Commission had introduced them to E-service to enable them to take data by any means, adding that the right figures captured would ensure “our food security will be guaranteed.”